The traditional exterior yields to a modern great room with soaring ceilings, a dark walnut floor and tons of natural light. By taking down walls in the center of the house, the family got a huge free-flowing living area while retaining snug bedrooms for boys Lucky, 4, and Rocco, 2. Stansfield wanted a new framework to give her decorating flexibility — an environment where she could display her mother's fancy Limoges china one day and earthy Heath pottery the next, depending on her mood. Stansfield, who sold her company to Liz Claiborne and now works as a fashion consultant, refuses to commit to one style, and to prove that home décor can be almost as flexible as hemlines, she's made a house that's simultaneously traditional and modern, loaded with objects yet devoid of clutter. "With fashion and with interior design, you can get into a situation where you love something for five years ago, and suddenly you can't stand it," says Stansfield, 45. "I love midcentury, but, oh my gosh, when you get the furniture and everything in that style, then what do you do if your tastes change? Or if someone gives you a gorgeous china teapot? Throw it out because it doesn't go with your Neutra house? It's so important to keep your options open."

The traditional exterior yields to a modern great room with soaring ceilings, a dark walnut floor and tons of natural light. By taking down walls in the center of the house, the family got a huge free-flowing living area while retaining snug bedrooms for boys Lucky, 4, and Rocco, 2. Stansfield wanted a new framework to give her decorating flexibility — an environment where she could display her mother's fancy Limoges china one day and earthy Heath pottery the next, depending on her mood. Stansfield, who sold her company to Liz Claiborne and now works as a fashion consultant, refuses to commit to one style, and to prove that home décor can be almost as flexible as hemlines, she's made a house that's simultaneously traditional and modern, loaded with objects yet devoid of clutter. "With fashion and with interior design, you can get into a situation where you love something for five years ago, and suddenly you can't stand it," says Stansfield, 45. "I love midcentury, but, oh my gosh, when you get the furniture and everything in that style, then what do you do if your tastes change? Or if someone gives you a gorgeous china teapot? Throw it out because it doesn't go with your Neutra house? It's so important to keep your options open." (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)

The traditional exterior yields to a modern great room with soaring ceilings, a dark walnut floor and tons of natural light. By taking down walls in the center of the house, the family got a huge free-flowing living area while retaining snug bedrooms for boys Lucky, 4, and Rocco, 2. Stansfield wanted a new framework to give her decorating flexibility — an environment where she could display her mother's fancy Limoges china one day and earthy Heath pottery the next, depending on her mood. Stansfield, who sold her company to Liz Claiborne and now works as a fashion consultant, refuses to commit to one style, and to prove that home décor can be almost as flexible as hemlines, she's made a house that's simultaneously traditional and modern, loaded with objects yet devoid of clutter. "With fashion and with interior design, you can get into a situation where you love something for five years ago, and suddenly you can't stand it," says Stansfield, 45. "I love midcentury, but, oh my gosh, when you get the furniture and everything in that style, then what do you do if your tastes change? Or if someone gives you a gorgeous china teapot? Throw it out because it doesn't go with your Neutra house? It's so important to keep your options open."